Shrug. "There's been wars, I guess."

"There will always be wars. For writing to be lost entirely takes a cataclysm."

"Well, there's reasons I left that world."

"I'm sure."

Mrrrrr.

"Does this world have libraries?" she asks instead.

"It does."

"I'd like to - see what's written here. What an older civilization can produce."

Dragonish hum. "The nearest and best libraries would be in Silvermoon City or Dalaran. Neither are welcoming of outsiders, but Dalaran at least has a human population."

"Unwelcoming of outsiders seems a poor trait for a center of knowledge."

"Elves are distrustful of humans and mages are wary of anyone not themselves a mage. With good historical reason, in both cases."

"People."

"Quite."

"Learning from you seems more likely to be pleasant."

"Perhaps. It has been some time since I had a student."

Teasingly: "A couple millennia?"

"More or less."

"Perhaps I'll be a refreshing break, then."

"And I could teach you something of my world and its magic, in return."

"I would like that. Agreed."

"Excellent."

"Then the bargain is struck."

"Do you have any immediate needs, little cat?"

"None right now."

"Good. As you can see, my home is not designed for creatures such as you. Adjustments must be made."

"I'm not a normal human, you know. I hardly need stairs."

"I surmised as much from your facile entrance. I was referring more to the scale of the rooms, the construction of the wards, and the lack of appropriate furniture."

"The large rooms are nice, and I'm used to very sparse furniture. I probably have a futon and a few mats in my storage scrolls, actually. And I wouldn't want you to be uncomfortable with something smaller."

"But if my presence interferes with your wards, that's another matter."